Post No. 2,188 - Reading and other links

I'm going to begin this with a reminder that the work of this blog is: 

• clearing nonBPM nonphysical  units (in a sense, doing the shadow work of the world), including doing spirit rescues,

and

• BPM  strengthening  BPM units - some nonphysical, some incarnated people . . . and one of, if not the, best ways that is done is strengthening people's connection with their own Higher Self (which is often not what they interpret as their conscience).
  

Also:

Black Lives Matter! Be Anti-Racist, Anti-Sexist, and Actively Inclusive in ALL Areas.
The Climate Crisis is real, urgent and existential!

The Pandemic is Real, and Vaccinations save lives. Stay safe - wash your hands, practice social distancing and wear a face mask in public, and follow informed medical advice - and be considerate towards those at risk or in situations of vulnerability (including economic) while the COVID-19 pandemic is a problem.

Having made those points, here are some links that you, Dear Reader, may find of interest or value: 

• a reasonable assessment of additional information on UFOs aka "UAPs" from declassified documents; 
• an opinion on "rethinking" work - which despite the claims of the article, predates millennials by a long way; 
• my thoughts on aged pensions and governments planning ahead; 
• a question by me on interference "the free performance by a member of the member’s duties as a member" by intimidation;
• an interesting book by a military historian on the white supremacism of the confederacy in the US Civil War; 
• my thoughts on what appears, to me, to be interference in "the free performance by a member of the member’s duties as a member" by intimidation; 
• this week's afterlife report;
  

Human rights related links (originally published on my political blog) that you, Dear Reader, may find of interest or value: 

• on the climate crisis (noting the UNFCCC) and environment (noting multiple  international agreements): 
• the national neolib nitwits are spending more on fossil fuel subsidies than schools;   the recent polar heatwave has destroyed a major ice shelf in Antarctica;   a call to include Indigenous people in conversations about the climate crisis;   an assessment that the national neolib nitwits have "overwhelmingly failed" on climate change;   noting Article 19 of the ICCPR, laws have been rushed through in NSW to stop protests;  
   
• on the COVID-19 pandemic (noting WHO advice, Article 12 of the ICESCR, and public emergency provisions of the ICCPR and the ICESCR): 
• "the ‘zero-Covid’ approach got bad press, but it worked – and it could work again";   "BA.2, a sub-variant of the Omicron coronavirus variant, has now become dominant globally, representing nearly 86 percent of all sequenced cases, according to the World Health Organisation";   stupid (aren't they all?) myths about the pandemic;   how one school prevented transmission;   the pandemic has led to some US cities scrapping fines that exacerbate inequality and/or discrimination;
   
  
• on Putin and his cronies' illegal (contrary to Chapters VI and VII of the UN Charter  and international law [and the 1928 Pact of Paris used in post-WW2 trials], and possibly conduct contrary to the "laws" of war and international humanitarian law (IHL)) invasion of Ukraine: 
• as a review of the mistakes of the West (and a call for modern statespersons / peacemakers) is published, the US President has warned of potentially decades and called for regime change in Russia . . . which call has been distanced from by the USA itself, France and the UK (such could lead to no change if Putin's backers keep power, or a worsening of conditions - see also this);   Russian soldiers have released a town's mayor and agreed to leave after civilians protested;   as Ukraine considers a referendum on neutrality, a comment that Russia wants to split Ukraine (which has only been apparent since 2014 - well, much earlier, actually) - which Ukraine opposes;   Russia is claiming it will reduce operations near Kyiv (how much of that claimed reduction is actually due to combat losses?) - but is sending its notorious mercenaries to eastern Ukraine;   another call for caution when viewing videos;   the white supremacists fighting for Ukraine and giving ammunition to Putin;   the troop replacement / relief and other needs that are making Putin's invasion time critical - for Russia;   an assessment that Putin was and still is being misled by Russia's military leaders;   
• Cold War thinking on the use of nuclear weapons is being resurrected and revamped;  
  
• racist responses to refugees;   human rights abuses are being mapped;   allegations of abuse of Russian prisoners of war by Ukrainian soldiers are being investigated;   as journalists continue to be disappeared, another independent media outlet in Russia has been forced to close;   Russia is using banned anti-personnel landmines;   sexual and gender-based violence;  
  
• dozens of Russian envoys have been expelled from Europe;   
• reflections on those who influenced Putin - and a book on Putin's rise as part of the KGB's return to power - and how the seeds of its destruction have been self sown;  
   
• on international affairs (noting the UN Charter [particularly Chapters VI and VII] and numerous  international  treaties): 
• an Arab-Israeli summit has displayed unity against Iran and called for Palestinian-Israeli talks;  
  
• almost half for foreign businesses in Hong Kong are planning to relocate in response to the suppression of democracy there by the CCP;   
• Russia has accused Azerbaijan of violating the Nagorno-Karabakh peacekeeping zone;   
• Australia's narrow-minded, lacking in understanding, and possibly (IMO) racist/xenophobic international aid policies;   
• a monthly tracker on conflicts around the world;
   
  
•  on corruption (noting international  agreements and monitoring) and misgovernance: 
• the utterly evil John Howard set the scene for twenty years of abusive governing;   
• the national neolib nitwits abolished a water infrastructure body after one of its members questioned spending without a chance for review - including a comment that the spending was "brazenly political";   
• the need to raise our minimum wage; 
• austerity measures are compounding the effect of the pandemic and devastating South Africa's poor;  
   
• on democracy (noting Article 25 of the ICCPR and monitoring  projects): 
• gang violence has led to a State of Emergency in El Salvador;   violent extremists are attempting to disrupt imminent elections in Somalia;   
•  a talk on money and politics (with very strange interjections in a few locations);   the AEC cannot address dishonesty in political ads;  
• West Africa will uphold the sanctions against the junta in Mali;   
• concerns about democracy in Tunisia;   
  
• our national neolib nitwits have brought down a tokenistic  budget widely seen as about political self preservation - but it has responded to activism and increased places for some Afghan refugees;   the backstabbing change of supplier on submarines will continue to cost taxpayers;   
• in a blow to transparency, access to information, and thus democracy, Tasmania is resisting FoI requests;   
• noting Article 19 of the ICCPR, journalism is being suppressed in Kyrgyzstan;
   
  
• on human rights (noting the various rights and treaties summarised here): 
• noting the Genocide  Convention, as a call is made for Australia and Japan to get off their backsides and sanction Burma's military, the genocidal military junta in control of Burma has vowed to annihilate its opponents;    noting Article 6 (1) of the ICCPR, Articles 6 of the CRC, Articles 15 and 17 of the CRPD, and Articles 7 and 43 of the DRIP, one quarter of the world's population lives in conflict zones;   civil war may resume in South Sudan;   more violent suppression in Sudan;   
• noting Articles 6 (1) and 17 of the ICCPR, Articles 6 and 16 of the CRC, Articles 15 and 17 of the CRPD, and Articles 7, 12 (1), and 43 of the DRIP, "AI-influenced weapons need better regulation - the weapons are error-prone and could hit the wrong targets";   yet more evidence that biometric data systems imperil people - in this case, Afghans;   as Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine gets Europe to finally start reconsidering its dependence on gas, a call to do likewise in the field of AI - which is mirroring the bigotries and biases of our current world, and thus perpetuating and exacerbating the problems;   
• noting the conventions on refugees, India is refouling Rohingya refugees back to Burma, but the USA will stop using health measures as an excuse to push back refugees (including breaking up families) ... eventually - in a few months time;  
  
• noting CAT, a call to stop arguing against torture on the grounds that it doesn't work (as there is evidence it can - although I am aware sometimes people will say whatever it takes to stop the torture) and focus on the cruelty and morality arguments (with an interesting parallel that we don't argue against genocide on the basis of it not working [it does], we do so because it is wrong); Syria is whitewashing decades of torture and other abuses;   
  
• noting the Yogyakarta Principles, more transphobia in the USA - and resistance to same there;   a Tasmanian Senator's attempts to defend her transphobic bill show she has no idea of what is harmful to TGD people, and will seek to extend her evil;   the UN has recognised the evil of discrimination against lesbians and bisexual women;   the invisibility of LGBTIQ+ players in professional sport;   the USA will finally allow X gender markers on passports;  
  
• noting ICERD and DRIP, as our (Australia's) racism continues, the broader context of a recent trial that led to the acquittal of a NT police officer who had been charged with murder;    Yemen has a problem of racism against black people;   Egypt's police are abusing Sudanese refugees;   a "new photographic exhibition ... shines light on Australians' experiences of racism";   a call for the national neolib nitwits latest xenophobic proposal to be rejected;  the barriers women from multicultural communities face;   the new SA government will implement the Uluru Statement from the Heart;  
  
• noting CEDAW, sexism even extends into the gig economy;   Universities haven't addressed sexual assault and harassment on campuses;   "endometriosis can end women’s careers and stall their education. That’s everyone’s business";   Qld police training on domestic violence is so inept it is dangerous - and other police forces aren't much better, if at all;   changes may drive parental leave backwards;   misogynistic bias towards macho alpha males is inhibiting gender equity in my home state's ambulance service;   
• noting the CRPD, verbal violence against a woman suffering from the autoimmune disease (alopecia areata is NOT androgenetic alopecia which is ordinary baldness) alopecia was followed by a physical violence response - with the latter receiving most disapproval (there was a fair bit of sexism as well);   more savaging of the NDIS by the bean-counter led NDIA - which is committing actions rejected by courts - under this national neolib nitwits government;   sexual and other violence by a carer against a women with cerebral palsy;   a University has hired people living with Downs syndrome to help research that topic;   
  
• noting Articles 6 (1) and 7 of the ICESCR, Article 5 (e i -ii) of the ICERD, Article 11 (1 a - c) of the CEDAW, and Article 27 (1) of the CRPD, workers in Cambodia jailed for seeking fairer working conditions have been released;   "wage theft in Australia is systemic, sustained and shameful and workers are often too scared to speak out in fear of repercussions, according to a scathing Senate inquiry report, which calls for new laws to protect employees";  
  
• more on the USA's double standards regarding the ICC;   growing concerns over the chilling effect of anti-human rights actions in Libya;   racing car driver, target of racists, and human rights activist Lewis Hamilton has called for more action on human rights in nations like Saudi Arabia after receiving a letter from an inmate on Saudi Arabia's death row, where a car racing event will be held;   criticism of a proposal in the UK to replace their human rights act with something to protect bigots;   criticism of the nine year delay in allowing SOME refugees to be treated humanely;   superficial change to Sri Lanka's abusive "security" law;   abuses by armed groups and guards on the Venezuela-Colombia border;   Germany will stop training the human rights & refugee  abusing Libyan coast guard;   human rights concerns in Mali;   "Australia has been labelled a “global laggard” when it comes to human rights";   "Mexico's armed forces knew that 43 student teachers who disappeared in 2014 were being kidnapped by criminals, then hid evidence that could have helped locate them, according to a report released Monday by special investigation"; 
   
• on natural disasters (noting Article 1(3) of the UN Charter): 
• a volcanic  eruption in the Philippines;   
  
• a thoughtful article on suicide, and the possible benefits of talking more openly about that; 
• ways to do better internet searches; 
• exposure to material that encourages speeding (e.g., games, online content, peers) encourages speeding (which I consider is backed up by the social acceptability of speeding decades ago - all of which raises questions, in my mind, about exposure to violent online content - see also this); 
• and an archaeological oops.
  

(Should you elect to write to your elected representatives or others on these matters, it may be useful to familiarise yourself with the links shown in blue - or to at least refer to them. Don't forget to check whether your nation has ratified the treaty concerned.)